Cultivating Collaborative Improvement: An Action Learning Approach

As competitive pressure mounts to innovate in the global knowledge economy, many organizations are exploring new ways of collaborating with their supply chain partners. However, the process of implementing collaborative initiatives across disparate members of supply networks is fraught with difficulties. One approach designed to tackle the difficulties of organizational change and inter-organizational improvement in practice is `action learning¿. This paper examines the experiential lessons that arise when cultivating collaborative improvement in an interorganizational learning environment. The authors, acting as action researchers, facilitated a practical learning program in an Extended Manufacturing Enterprise involving a large system integrator in the automotive industry and three of its\ud suppliers. Based on this experience, a practical learning model is offered to promote and facilitate inter-organizational change as part of a collaborative improvement process

Total data quality management: a study of bridging rigor and relevance

Ensuring data quality is of crucial importance to organizations. The Total Data Quality Management (TDQM) theory provides a methodology to ensure data quality. Although well researched, the TDQM methodology is not easy to apply. In the case of Honeywell Emmen, we found that the application of the methodology requires considerable contextual redesign, flexibility in use, and the provision of practical tools. We identified team composition, toolsets, development of obvious actions, the design of phases, steps, and actions, and sessions as vital elements of making an academically rooted methodology applicable. Such an applicable methodology, we name “well articulated”, because it incorporates the existing academic theory and it is made operational. This enables the methodology to be systematically beta tested and made useful for different organizational conditions

Facilitating collaboration in e-supply chain systems: an action learning-based approach

Increasingly, organisations are emphasizing more cooperative trading relationships with the view to constructing long-term collaborative partnerships. Often firms introduce Internet-based systems to integrate strategic suppliers into collaborative networks. In reality, many of these collaborative supply chain systems have underperformed or been terminated. Frequently these inter-organisational systems achieve gains in operational performance but fall short of relationship change. However to maximise the potential of an integrated system, participants need to learn ‘the art of collaboration’ with supply chain partners and manage a difficult change process. Achieving a successful implementation requires a formal intervention programme that facilitates behavioural change to improve integration within the network. One practical intervention technique is “action learning”. This approach focuses on learning from experience in an applied organisational context to cultivate behavioural change and collaborative practice. In this paper, the authors identify the key elements of an action learning programme created to promote behavioural change in the implementation of an Internet-based collaborative supply chain system. Based upon empirical data from an EC-Funded Fifth Framework Project, the impact of this formal integration programme is assessed

Collaborative improvement as an inspiration for supply chain collaboration

The battlefield of competition is today moving from the level of\ud individual firms to the one of the extended enterprises, that is, networks of customers and their suppliers. This paper discusses how learning and continuous improvement today take place in processes based on daily collaboration at intercompany level, i.e. Extended Manufacturing Enterprises (EMEs). The purpose of the paper is to present a preliminary theory on Collaborative Improvement (CoI), i.e. continuous improvement at the EME level. Based on a literature review on Supply Networks, and Continuous Improvement and on evidence from two explorative case studies, the paper proposes a model for Collaborative Improvement in EMEs and discusses a research approach based on Action Research and Action Learning to further develop preliminary theory and actionable knowledge on how to foster and sustain CoI in EMEs

Factors affecting the development of collaborative improvement with strategic suppliers

The research presented in this paper was aimed at increasing the current understanding of the process of developing collaborative improvement in Extended Manufacturing Enterprises (EME). Theory suggests a number of factors to affect that process, including shared sense of direction (i.e. vision), trust, power, and commitment. Based on action research of three EMEs involving a total of thirteen companies from five European countries, the present study identifies a number of additional factors. Factors exogenous to, but impacting, the collaboration are joint history and culture. Endogenous factors are approach to establishing the collaboration, project organisation, change and improvement competence, ways and modes of communicating, and political behaviour. Not only do these factors influence each other, they also strongly affect the development of collaborative improvement

Cultivating collaborative improvement: an action learning approach

The process of implementing collaborative initiatives across disparate members of supply networks is fraught with difficulties. One approach designed to tackle the difficulties of organisational change and interorganisational improvement in practice is 'action learning'. This paper examines the experiential lessons that arise when cultivating collaborative improvement in an interorganisational learning environment. The authors, acting as action researchers, facilitated a practical learning program in an Extended Manufacturing Enterprise (EME). Based on this experience, a practical learning model is offered to promote and facilitate interorganisational change as part of a collaborative improvement process